


Separate

by sentinelai



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Agoraphobia, Alternate Universe, Amputee!L, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Relationship, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Fear of Abandonment, Fights, L and Light being their argumentative selves, M/M, Maybe dead maybe alive, Schrödinger's Watari, Separation Anxiety, Things can only get better, but somewhat worse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-07 20:41:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11631486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sentinelai/pseuds/sentinelai
Summary: Detective L and Detective Light Yagami spent four years collaborating on cases before they were kidnapped. Light, having only met L for the first time in person during their confinement, was certain they'd make it out alive. And they did. Only the catch was L becoming an amputee, and Light becoming his full time carer - despite his own mental scarring. Now they remain heavily dependant on each other. Four months later, Light has already had enough.Three-shot. Amputee!L.  Angst with a happy ending.





	1. Isolation

**Author's Note:**

> This is a ~~two~~ _three*_ -shot I started writing a few months ago but forgot to pick up again. I know the first chapter seems dark, but time passes between this and the next chapter, and we do see improvement in their relationship. I can promise a happy ending for them after everything they've been through. It's just something different to break off from my other writing. Enjoy, and thank you for taking the time to read my fic.

Holding his hand out for L again, he was surprised that he wouldn’t even _try_ to reach for it this time. After falling on the floor for a second time, in his frail effort to train himself to walk again, he decided that this time enough was enough, and had no intention of getting back up or accepting Light’s help. The detective made it clear that he would do it in his own time, but he was far from convincing. He didn’t want to. Countless claims of not needing to walk anywhere and wasting his time building up his strength were on his ever-expanding list of excuses. In reality, he feared failing himself.

It could never be simple with L. With the inability to accept his own failures and shortcomings, the situation he faced was even further from ideal than it already was. L hated going outside, and hated leaving his safe space. It didn’t put an end to Light’s worries about L's sanity when he couldn’t get him to leave his hotel room at least once a month..

The curtains remained closed and kept the room feeling stale.That was the effect of not opening them for over a week, which L was to blame for, whining that the light was too straining on his eyes, clearly his own fault for having his eyes surgically attached to his laptop screen... but he had nothing else to distract him while he chose to remain immobile. It was only now, after begging him on hands and knees to just try, even once, that he’d made any effort to work on his walking. Light was still far from impressed.

“Are you even trying, or are you doing this to annoy me?” He questioned in such a brash tone that apparently caught L by surprise, because it was enough to make him finally look up and acknowledge him. 

“No, I’m not,” he replied flatly, looking down at the carpet again as he began to run his fingers along it in circular motions. Light cringed at his inattention to hygiene. “It’s difficult and very tiring. I’d just like to sit down.”

It’d been over two months since they escaped imprisonment, yet he was growing more defeated with each passing day. Hearing him talk like that sickened him, when he knew very well the person he once was, after spending years of his life working for this supposedly powerful man, who was now sat hunched over on the floor because he had no hope of recovery. It pained him to admit that it had taken away part of his being, and not just physically. 

Until they were taken hostage they may as well have been strangers, because it was only after days of sharing a cell with him that he found out this man was L. It wasn’t what he’d expected, but now they were more than familiar. Even then, four months earlier, he was a different person. He was never cold towards Light when he was scared, agitated or agonised, and always had a certain sense of bluntness about him. That changed when they were released. For all he knew, maybe he really hadn’t been the honest person he knew in there. Always cunning, it was unlikely he was a very honest man at all, and every word, action or traits were fabricated lies, including how he treated Light when they were being held. He had his doubt that L actually gave a crap about him. 

His hair obscured his eyes, but Light knew that they wouldn’t have changed since he saw them seconds ago. They were always empty. Expressionless. Looking into them felt like staring into a void - but it stared back, vast yet unfeeling, and that never changed after the incident. If he was left to fend for himself, he wouldn’t survive. Whether that was before or after his capture, he wasn’t sure. L wasn’t strong. He was a weak man with no willpower or strength of character. 

Day in, day out, he was the same mess that needed tending to. Light cared for him too much to see him that way; he couldn’t even bear to see him act defeated, and that’s why he was always getting at him to try harder. He didn’t want to be frustrated with him, but he was beyond that point now. 

He grabbed for his shirt and yanked at him hard, managing to rag him up from the floor. Startled, the man tried to scramble away from him, but Light shook him, and L’s eyes widened at his unprovoked assault. L grabbed for his wrist with trembling hands, clawing away at it with his ratty fingernails until Light released him and sent him toppling onto his backside.

“F-fucking fine.” Light panted, glaring down at the shaken detective. “Sit down and give up, but that’s the last thing I do for you.”

Propped up his elbows, his arms were shaking uncontrollably, and he was trying to inconspicuously, but not unnoticed by Light, move himself out of arm's reach. It felt good to finally get a reaction out of him when he always appeared unfazed by his outbursts. Light’s chest continued to rise and fall. The adrenaline made his head spin. His clenched fists, hunched up shoulders and a deep set anger wouldn’t drop. 

He ranted, and L flinched at the stark tone of his voice. “I wish you never roped me in. This wouldn’t be happening right now if I wasn’t assigned to that stupid fucking case with you…”

The scrawny man hadn’t known what hit him. Maybe it was because he’d never been spoken down on like that, or maybe he was afraid that he’d really had enough of him and that he’d be alone again. He managed to collect himself and no longer bore an expression of panic. It infuriated Light to see him pull back so easily, with a face sullen and uncaring once again, further proving his point that he didn’t care about what he had to say. L looked away, eyes half-lidded as he at least seemed to ponder on his words.

“You’re always so pathetic. I suffered too, but you don’t care, do you? All you’ve done since we’ve been free is pity yourself and not given one single fuck about me. I’ve done everything for you. _Everything_ ,” he spat, “And that’s not enough for you. So I’ll let you sit down. But I won’t be here to help you back up.”

That didn’t even earn him the bat of an eyelid. He slumped on the floor like a child being scolded, as if Light was the unreasonably angry parent he was taking abuse from - like he was being unfair in yelling at him for being self-centred. It made him want to sit down just having to look at him and dealing with his negativity. If he wanted to argue he could have kept going, but in the time they’d spent together, he knew it wasn’t worth it, because L never argued back or stood his ground like he wanted him to. Retreat or sit in silence - that was his solution. Letting go of his lost cause, he sauntered over to L’s armchair to steal his seat, knowing that at least that would bother him, if anything.

“I’m really trying, Light…” 

His head swung back round faster than he could think to mind his surroundings. Hitting his knuckles against something hard, he nearly knocked a vase off the end table beside him, and recoiled his hand with an anguished yelp. His eyes streamed with tears and he squeezed his eyes shut until the pain subsided. He’d never come so close to tearing a room up in a fit of rage, but he suppressed the urge. 

“I’m sorry,” L whispered. 

His fingers throbbed, and he couldn’t help but snarl at his apology. “Everything that's happened to me has been your fault, yet I’ve stood by you through it all and had nothing in return, because you _just don’t care_. You don’t care because you’re a selfish prick who does everything for his own gain, am I right, _Ryuzaki_?” 

He forced himself to stop and breathe. Out of spite, he directed his anger towards L. He loathed him. Sometimes he even hated him. It pained him that he cared about him. The way he looked at him when he was hurting made him want to throw up when he was so conflicted inside by his compassion and absolute hate towards him. His eyes weren’t wet with tears, and he never broke down or cried. He’d shut off. The world did not exist to him while he was suffering. Light hadn’t seen that expression in a while, nor had he heard him respond to any of his other rants and try to apologise, but now his body was limp, with his head kept down as he fumbled with his trembling fingers, and he was back to square one with him.

Light took a few steps back towards the detective before he stopped again. He was seething with rage. He wanted a reaction, and for L to finally see what he was doing to him, but every time he saw him with that stupid prosthetic leg, he pitied him. His prosthetic had been the biggest waste of time because he fell over every time he stood up. Light told him many times over that he needed to stand up straight, yet he wouldn’t. He tried to support him as he walked, but he said it made him uncomfortable. Moral support wasn’t even good enough. All the trouble he went to for him was thrown back in his face, and he didn’t need to wonder why he’d got himself so worked up and wanted out. 

And then, he realised, he could just walk out. L clearly didn’t want or need him there anymore. 

Inhaling deeply through his nose, and trying not to look at L, he fixated on the faint glow of L’s laptop screen on the coffee table, and watched as the screensaver ran through as he tried to calm down. He didn’t want to leave him on his own. Light tried to clear his mind, but even that was to no avail. L’s laptop, his primary source of communication, reminded him that they hadn’t worked a case in months, yet he spent hours on it at a time, not even trying to do anything productive when Light was busy or away. He knew what he was upto. His whole image of L had been ruined when he met him, and found out what a backwards person he could be at times. The man was an unkempt, weak and disgusting pervert; not the strong-minded, world-renowned detective genius he thought he knew. When he had nothing better to do with himself, he’d resort to keeping himself entertained by the internet and all its joy. Apparently that wasn’t just after he lost the ability to walk on two legs. _Oh no_. L told him he’d always been that way, and did so with no shame in telling him exactly what he liked. It was one of many things that he did to continually piss him off. 

But now, his attention was drawn back to the man in question. Nothing could take his mind off how undeserving he was of his care, and he wanted to strangle him for it. He’d been so enamoured by a fake personality of his that it never occurred to him he was only letting him see what he wanted him to see, or in Light’s case, hear what he wanted him to hear. Years of his life were spent working under a complete loser, whose only skill was to solve cases. That proved to be nothing short of a disaster, because now he was missing a limb, he’d put their lives at risk and placed him in a situation he never wanted to be in. 

L looked up when he heard Light approach him, but the panic quickly set back in. Light stormed over to him and, out of nowhere, shoved him by his shoulders before he could turn his body away from him. He tried to scramble away with his hands, but Light pushed him onto his back, where he lay helplessly gazing back up at him in horror. 

“Stop that! Light!” The detective wailed, squeezing his eyes shut as he held his arms in front him defensively. Light hands reached for his shirt again, but he was met with a foot to his windpipe that forced him to let go and stumble away. 

Launching into him again, Light went with full intent. This time he grabbed him by the arms of his shirt so recklessly that it caused a tear in one of them. His hands slipped down his shirt sleeves to his wrists, and he dragged him a short distance across the carpet as he contorted his body in hopes he could get away, but L stood no chance against him. When he howled in pain, Light released him and let him drop fully on the floor. 

L moved swiftly onto his front and wrapped both arms around Light’s knees in an attempt to make him lose his balance. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, he tried to rip him away. He pulled harder, gritting his teeth, but L’s method was working too well and had his legs giving way. Light yelled at him to let go. The man stopped what he was doing, did as he was told, before Light lost all control and fell into him. Making an ‘oomf’ sound as he landed on him, L was winded by the impact, and Light rolled off onto his own back next to him.

Now he was burnt out. He heaved as he tried to catch his breath and noticed L was doing the same, but with his face pressed against the carpet and lying on his stomach. 

Light began to whimper, rubbing his knuckles hard against his burning, teary eyes. 

"I hate you."


	2. Sincerity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's taken me a while to finish this because of so many things that come up in life, but I've been so determined to finish this. One more chapter for what was originally intended to be a two-shot. More happiness to follow. Enjoy ♥

A helpful hand from Light escorted him out of the elevator, and into the silence of the unoccupied lobby. Signs of life weren’t a common feature of the early morning hotel environment, with today in particular holding a certain lifeless element about it, without an attendant present at the front desk or a soul in sight, but this suited him more than the usual daytime commotion that reigned over it. This came as a relief, despite his ever-building tolerance to his anxiety. Only Light could provide him with any true comfort - and that thought, to his minor disbelief, provoked a squeeze of his hand, as though he knew L was tormenting himself with such thoughts.

“There’s nothing to worry about. I’m here.” Light’s soft-spoken words made him wince as, in L’s mind, it brought abrupt end to the silence. The response of his timid smile likely gave away his uncertainty and worry. He wasn’t convinced by him yet, or at least until he knew his fear was uncalled for.

His prosthesis had a way of irritating him with its incessant feeling of clunkiness that followed every stride, but he went on without complaint. He followed his partner, hand-in-hand, as he absorbed his surroundings in his attempt to keep his thoughts grounded. It had been... difficult leaving his room, and even more so stepping out of the elevator, but Light supported him, and promised, prior to that day, he always would be. His venture out hadn’t been half as bad as he’d expected. The hotel itself was grand, overwhelmingly so, with its marble staircase, plush carpets and dark mahogany features, that it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to explore. That would be his next step to recovery, he thought.

They made their approach to the lobby entrance and his heart raced, making his head spin with his rapid rate of bloodflow. By this time he was trembling, with a built-up cold sweat. 

“I’m proud of you,” Light leaned in and whispered comfortingly. “Keep going, you’re very close.”

L was forced to swallow the lump in his throat, by his sheer determination to impress his boyfriend and to give him something more meaningful to take pride in. He knew he could never stop trying, for Light’s sake, and the sooner he faced the outside world, the better off they’d both subsequently be. Their fingers remained intertwined as they approached the door together, reassuring him that he wasn’t doing this alone. 

Through the glass pane, he could see out onto the deserted 5am street. Sunlight emerged from the horizon, but outside it was still dark and dreary. It’d been raining, as was the norm for this time of year, and quite heavily, with the thick, ashen cloud still threatening another downpour. Rays of light scarcely broke through.

A hand reached for the door, before he could muster the courage to do so, and took the handle in its grasp. L gradually turned his head back towards Light, peering over his shoulder at him. 

“Are you ready?” Light questioned with a wavering tone of uncertainty, but L could see the determination in his eyes. It wasn’t that he thought he couldn’t; he was afraid he wouldn’t, and that alone made him feel obligated to do it. His efforts were not to be wasted. Light pushed his own needs aside to provide for him and take care of him when he was truly helpless, provided him with companionship, and sometimes went to great lengths to comfort him. That took its toll on one occasion too many, but enough was enough - the time had come where L was to face his reality. 

The outside world had become a formidable place, yet his fear had evolved into something beyond unreasonable. 

Since their confinement, he cherished having somewhere familiar to reside in, and feared ever leaving the safety of his four walls again. It wasn’t safe to be out in the open and that was learnt through a naive mistake. He hadn’t been excused from taking control of his phobia, although he was never one to be accustomed to the outdoors or particularly fond of it to begin with. It was Light who needed this. His only incentive to do this was to free Light from his caring duty.

He nodded with slight apprehension. His hand was squeezed so tightly that he was certain his fingers would dislocate if it persisted. Light was nervous, with a smile that wouldn’t fool him into thinking otherwise. 

“I’m right behind you all the way.”

L braved a promising smile, squeezing Light’s hand in return. “Thank you, Light.”

~

One month earlier.

It tired him to argue. Lying haphazardly across the king-sized bed, on his back, tangled in the bedsheets, he tilted his head as he observed Light, who’d now returned to his workspace at the far end of the room. Only a few metres keeping them apart, but the distance than that felt much greater. They’d been involved in yet another dispute. 

Light made every effort to avoid crossing sights by turning his back on him. He was motionless, staring at his computer monitor with both arms fixed in position. This would’ve led L to believe that he was only doing this to ignore him, if it wasn’t for the click of the mouse or the change in lighting as various pages flicked from minimize to expand, and vice versa. 

It was conforming to the dull existence that Light warned him of, but he knew this was to prove a point. He was bored. Living as an ex-detective was never planned. Taking up the role, due to L’s reluctance to do so himself, his partner tried to uphold his duties for him in hopes that one day he’d return. L made it clear that he had no intention of working another case, but this didn’t stop Light from trying to entice him. The work was becoming an excuse to ignore him until he changed his mind. When confronted about this, it only sparked further conflict, and that left him exactly where he was now. 

Rolling onto his front, his fingertips grazed the carpet as he let his arms hang from the foot of the bed, to the point where he could’ve easily slid on the floor in a heap. That’s all he felt like doing. Nothing seemed better than curling up on the floor and forgetting about life for a while, but he knew it would only irritate Light, so he had to resist his usual compulsive behaviour. 

His eyes were no longer on Light, instead fixated on his fingers as he tapped them one after the other, against the carpet, creating a wave-like motion. They cast shadows, dancing around the light that the screen gave off, which he found at least a little interesting to watch. Reaching out to Light and striking up another conversation was completely out of the question, because he knew it’d lead to more bickering, and he couldn’t bear the thought. Instead he succumbed to his boredom and twiddled his thumbs, in a more literal sense. His habit of tapping his fingers served at least some purpose of keeping his brain occupied - something he’d never had the misfortune of dealing with before.

In his transfixed state, he wasn’t aware he was being watched. It was only when he could sense movement that he was broken from his trance, and his eyes flicked to Light, who was watching him over his shoulder. The motion with his fingers stopped as he stared back.

“Have I done something wrong?” L queried, surprise in his tone more so than concern, but still taken aback this sudden attention he was getting. 

Light’s gaze wasn’t intense, but unnerving. The last few months had brought out a volatile and unpredictable temperament in him, and from the way he was looking at him, staring over his shoulder and forcing eye-contact between them, it felt somewhat provocative. It was feline in nature, leaving him a little more than uneasy as he abandoned his work and approached him. He could feel his own eyes growing wider the more he had to strain to look up at him.

His uncertainty over how to handle or respond this strange behaviour was short-lived. Light reached down, ruffled his hair, and smiled. 

“Of course not. You just look a little silly, that’s all.”

Perplexed, L bit his lip. Furrowing his (non-existent) brow, Light mirrored him, which left him speechless and evermore surprised.

“What’s wrong with that?” Light asked as he continued to tower over him, barely standing still, instead swaying ever so slightly as he rocked back and forth on his feet, bordering on playful. His hands were in his pockets, giving the impression of a child’s curiosity. It wasn’t possible to read him like he could with most others. Trying to gain any understanding of him was more like solving a Sudoku grid with no starting numbers; you could only fill the blanks with your imagination.That didn’t mean the puzzle was completed as intended. This was too naïve of him, like he’d simply forgotten their fight from earlier, or any of their other ongoing problems, but L could only wonder what was truly on his mind.

L shook his head, not daring to blink on the off-chance it flipped a switch. 

“Nothing,” he murmured. “It just seems very unlike you to tear yourself away from your work.”

Light opened his mouth to respond, but he immediately closed it upon realising he didn’t have an answer for that. It was unlike him, after all, which confirmed that he was self-aware of it. That was the degree to which L had been ignored: _knowingly_.

Following up on that, he sat down next to him. “I know what you’re thinking, and I’ve been thinking about it too. We need to talk. This can’t go on forever.”

He shot up quicker than he ever thought possible. “ _What_ can’t, exactly? You’re not-”

“I’m not leaving,” he interrupted. “I mean this conversation has been long overdue.”

L settled down again, resting on his elbow as he rolled onto his side. For a second he panicked at the thought of Light announcing his departure, preparing to walk out of his life, but he knew better, and knew that’s what he deserved. He knew that’s why it scared him. 

Light stared down at his hands, his eyes half-lidded. “I’ve done so many things wrong, and I know it’s too late to make things right...”

“This isn’t your fault. I hope I haven’t made you feel that way.”

Their eyes met as Light tried to process this. Clearly not the response he’d anticipated, but L wasn’t going to stand for him taking the blame for what he endured. For once he felt a sense of humility. It wasn’t Light’s fault, at least not what happened to him during their confinement, and, although L understood that things could’ve been handled differently, Light had been hurting too.

He ran a hand through his hair in such a head-scratching manner, staring over at the far wall as though he was having a hard time contemplating it. “You’re not mad at me?” 

“I have no reason to be, but I wouldn’t blame you for being angry with me.” L sat up, moving around to sit next to him. It wasn’t possible to sit in his usual position with only one whole leg and a thigh, but he wouldn’t complain about that just now, at least. “I’ve been very difficult to care for, I know, and I appreciate that you’re still here with me despite your...own struggles...”

L lost track of what he was saying when he felt the warmth of Light’s breath graze his collarbone. 

“You deserved more than I could give, and I’m sorry,” he finished, letting the room fall silent as he rested his head on his shoulder. 

Looking down on him, they exchanged a look, if not for more than a second, as though they’d finally established a mutual understanding for one another. Light smiled briefly, soon shaking it off again. He knew he’d be forgiven because he understood L all too well. As childish as he could be, he wasn’t the type to hold a grudge against someone if there was no sense in doing so. That aside, he’d never hold a grudge against Light; he’d jumped to defend him in his time of need and stood by him without expecting anything but companionship in return, which, in hindsight, he hadn’t provided for him. 

Light lifted his head as he examined his face. With deep gaze, he searched his face up and down, his lips parting with a small, content sigh. Again, he felt his breath graze his skin, but this time closer to his jaw, creeping upwards. He found himself so focused on his eyes that he wasn’t aware of the closing gap between their lips.

He took the initiative and moved in first, conscious of how heavily he breathed out through his nose. His entire body relaxed, as opposed to tensing up in the way he’d expect it to. Shoulders slumped, arms hanging at his sides, and a certain willingness about him that felt abnormal. 

Their lips almost touched for a moment when Light moved less than an inch away. L couldn’t peel his eyes away from his lower lip, feeling deprived, his mouth gaping as he craved what was taken from him. 

It was enough to draw him back in. He tilted his head and closed his eyes, this time closing the gap with much more intent than his previous effort, making it clear what he wanted. This wasn’t their first attempt, but, instead, one of many close encounters, finally getting somewhere. He’d grown accustomed to it being cut short that he was very much in unknown territory from that point onwards, but he knew he’d soon figure it out. Their lips met for a second time, holding them both in position as they tried to process their next move.

There was nothing else quite like it, he realised, than the feeling of another person’s mouth being pressed to his - at least not in this way. He’d never experienced anything so intimate with anyone else other than Light, and it felt good to share that with him. 

Parting again, he could feel an imprint of saliva left behind on his once dry lip. He opened his eyes, and met an unfamiliar, hazed expression of glazed over eyes and a slight frown. It was evident that he was in deep thought. Light’s arms slipped around his waist and pulled him back for more, repeatedly pressing his lips to his,and his kisses becoming increasingly wet each time they made contact. L reached for his shoulders, gripping them tight and working harder at keeping Light in place. He couldn’t help noticing how Light found it so simple look at ease.

Even with his firm hold, he’d managed to pull back from him. Yet he wasn’t left feeling disappointed. Light still clung to him and pressed many smaller kisses to his jaw that made his hairs stand on end. 

“I love you,” he breathed heavily into his neck as he persisted down towards his collarbone. Without being given time respond to that, he was being pulled onto his back, still in Light’s embrace.

He led on his back, smiling to himself as Light continued to caress him. “I love you too.”


	3. Compassion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. Relatively short, but I was starting to think I'd never find a place to finish this. I had to settle on what I had, be brave, and just post it. I've been very unsure of the outcome, but here it is. 
> 
> I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read this short fic. I've come so close to dropping all my unfinished works, but after writing this, I feel motivated to go back to them all and really make the best of what I have. It's taken this fic to get me back into writing again, and it's been a good starting point.

“Happy Birthday, Ryuzaki.”

Light approached him from behind, and upon craning his neck he caught sight of a box in his arms, wrapped with care in red paper. It was long, maybe the length of his arm span, but also relatively narrow in comparison. His head turned, following Light as he walked to the front of his armchair. 

It felt somewhat awkward to receive gifts, but he was made up with excitement at the thought of it. “I wasn't expecting a gift.”

“Well it’s too late to say that,” Light chuckled. “I’ve had this planned for a while.”

This had his curiosity. If he couldn’t guess what it was then it had to be something incredibly thoughtful for him to put so much into planning it. He eyed the box again, trying to speculate. If he had to guess, he’d say it was a new prosthetic, but he wasn’t willing to ruin Light’s gift by voicing this thought. He had to be patient. 

The present was handed down to him and he placed it across his legs. It was heavy enough to nearly knock him off balance, but he managed to maintain his crouched position after a slight wobble. This brought another chuckle from Light, who usually found his mishaps entertaining to watch - there wasn’t any malicious intent behind it, and it lightened the mood when he made mistakes that would, more often than not, make him feel a little depressed. This alone was proof of how he’d improved mentally, and physically, with being around Light. Months prior to that he wouldn’t have managed to stay upright, and that would’ve left him sulking for at least a couple of hours. 

“Are you going to open it?”

L smiled gingerly. “Will I like it?”

“I hope so.”

He worked him thumbnail under the strip of tape at one of the ends. Making a small opening in the paper, he tore it open, starting by unfolding Light’s immaculate wrapping and working his way down from there. Inside was just any old box - the red paper revealing brown cardboard beneath. L looked up to see his boyfriend smiling back at him, with a hint of excitement in his gleaming eyes. 

His attention turned back to slipping the box out. The sleeve of paper fell to the floor, and he knew Light was more than eager to see his reaction. 

“No matter what’s inside this, you know I’ll be more than happy, Light.”

Clearly quite taken aback by his words, he sensed his ever-growing smile without needing to look at him. He shifted, putting his weight on his back leg and folding his arms. 

The box itself had signs of being opened at least once. He opened it with ease, lifting the top up to reveal a smaller polystyrene casing. Resolute in his theory that it was, in fact, a prosthetic, he was now more than enthusiastic as he finally removed the top half of the box within the box. 

“ _Oh Light…_ ”

Arms reached out for him as he was pulled into the most heartfelt embrace Light had ever given, pressing his head against his chest and running his fingers through his mess of hair. His heart was vigorously beating against his chest. Words had abandoned him with the overwhelming nature of it all, but he was grateful, and he hoped he’d given Light the reaction he wanted. 

To think of where they were just over a year ago, the gift and that gesture alone had been significant for them both; the beginning of a future together, far brighter than he could’ve imagined. 

~

3 weeks later.

He swung the racket, sending the ball hurtling back towards L. The frail man dashed for it, shooting it back, to his amazement, with equally as much power. 

Light was more than impressed with how quickly he took to his running prosthesis, and L was just as much capable and agile as he was. Of course he’d had plenty of practice beforehand with learning to move around, but it took him less than a month to become fully adjusted to it with no mishaps. Even now, Light was struggling to keep up with him. He knew L was experienced in playing tennis, that was why he bought the prosthetic for him, but he never once thought that he’d be better than he was, having been a junior tennis champion himself. 

This time the ball scraped just past the frame of his racket, bouncing within mere inches of the court markings before hitting the chain-link fence behind him. He turned to see the ball rolling towards him, only to turn back to look at L, completely stunned. 

“Tired?” he called out, cockily toying with the racket in his hand.

He frowned, a little annoyed by his demeanor, but he tried to shrug off his losses. It only seemed fair to let L to win his first tennis match against him. “Maybe.”

“Let’s call it a day. I’m starving.”

~

L pinched a strawberry cheesecake bite between his thumb and index. He eyed it for a moment, before his focus switched to Light.

“Would you like this?” 

He blinked a few times, lifting his head from his hands, almost caught off guard by his selfless gesture. “You’re offering me the last one?”

“Yes,” he leaned over, holding the tiny cake slice out for him. “Open up.”

Light did as he was told. He opened his mouth, putting his tongue out slightly as L fed him what remained of the strawberry cheesecake - one of his favourites from this particular cafe. Closing his mouth with the rich, sweet taste of strawberry filling his senses, he couldn’t stop a smile spreading from cheek to cheek. He felt stupid, but he enjoyed even the strangest forms of affection.

Within seconds he’d managed to chew it up and swallow. L had moved back to sitting on his cushion, seemingly fascinated by him.

“I wonder if you’ll taste like strawberry.”

His heart seemed to miss a few beats, taken by complete surprise at his vulgarity, and at how he’d said it loud enough for just about anyone else around them to hear. Luckily no one seemed to turn their head. He knew L was waiting to say something. Light covered his face, feeling his cheeks burning against his palms. 

“ _Why would even you say that?_ ” he mumbled into his hands.

“You don’t want to taste like strawberries?”

Light wanted to hush him, but knowing he’d only repeat it louder, with the intention of making him feel embarrassed in public, he let him be. Similar occurrences from when they worked together began to flood his mind, with memories of the countless awkward situations L had put him in during cases. He enjoyed making him blush; L had always been set in those ways, even before he had any rude implications behind it - or at least he thought so.

When he finally worked up the courage to uncover his face, he was met with the sight of L slipping a bottle of strawberry sauce into his pocket. 

“What are you--?”

L shot a glance back at him, meaning he should probably keep quiet about it if he wanted to keep his head. When he’d finished smuggling it into his jeans pocket, he tried to keep it covered over with his loose fitted shirt. It worked for the most part, but it soon clicked in his mind what he was doing this for. He groaned at just the thought of what he had in mind.

“That’s for you,” L said aloud, already looking for the next type of cake to feed himself with, and his eyes setting on some red velvet cupcakes with white icing. “For later.”

He wasn’t overjoyed by his crude nature, but Light knew how fortunate he was to have that part of the insufferable bastard back.


End file.
